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It’s None of Your Diet

A renowned vegan blogger came under fire after a video was taken of her eating fish at a restaurant. She had been promoting vegan diet for years, but had to give up veganism due to health problems. I don’t want to tell vegans what to eat. Likewise, they should not impose their lifestyle on others.
The popular blogger, Rawvana, who lives in San Diego, has hosted a Spanish and English blog for the past 6 years, touting veganism as a cure to all to life’s aliments, such as alcoholism and poor sleep. She said that the plant-based diet “completely changed” her life.
The lifestyle guru, whose name is Yovana Mendoza Ayres, revealed that she was borderline malnourished and her hormone level were extremely low even though she was still 29 years old. She was diagnosed with SIBO (small instinal bacterial overgrowth), and was advised by a doctor to start incorporating eggs and fish into her diet.
The once-vegan explained how her digestion problems have been ameliorated since leaving the pure vegan diet, and now espouses that all bodies are different.
She was just advocating veganism, but there are radical vegans. In France, members of the 269 Life France vandalize meat shops and processing plants. It’s obviously a crime. They are not moral.
Hard-core vegans insist on speciesism, objecting to sacrificing other animals. What do they think of lions and other carnivores? Cats are omnivorous. Should cats be banned from preying on mice? Look into the sea. Larger fish eat smaller fish. In only human being is prohibited from eating other animals, it’s a bias.
The Creator established the food chain. Unless overhunting or overfishing, species can be maintained. We are human. Omnivores have evolved to eat not only vegetables but also animal protein. At the same time, we should not overeat for our health and not sacrifice life unnecessarily.

Legend Ichiro Suzuki Retires

On March 21st, Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariner’s baseball player, announced his retirement at a press conference after a night game at Tokyo Dome. The Japanese major leaguer’s retirement was news not only in Japan and the U.S. but also in Europe.
The British media hardly ever deals with baseball. Nevertheless, the BBC reported on the top page of its official site that Japanese baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki retired and that he was “proud” after almost three decades in the sports. German and Italian media also reported his retirement.
He is actually a living legend. In 2004, he broke George Sisler’s record of 257 hits in a season after 84 years. In 2009, he got 200 hits or more for 9 consecutive years, breaking Willer Keeler’s record got 108 years previously. He helped bring championship titles in the first and second World Baseball Classics.
What I appreciate most about him is his character. His work ethic and sense of fair play impressed Americans. Owing to his popularity, Japanese foods such as edamame became very popular in the U.S.
I’m happy to see that several Japanese players are now doing well in the major leagues.

Punishment against Terrorism

On March 15th, 49 people were killed in a terrorist attack at 2 mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. As of December 31st 2017, 106 countries have completely abolished the death penalty. New Zealand is one of them. In the countries, murderers are prohibited from being killed no matter how many innocent people they slaughter.
In 2011, 77 people were killed and over 100 were injured in 2 terror attacks in Norway: 8 were killed in a bombing and 69 were shot to death. The perpetrator was arrested, but claimed that the attacks were justified, saying it was needed to ignite an “anti-multicultural revolution” in order to defend Western Europe from an Islamic takeover.
Some Norwegians advocated reinstating the death penalty or others proposed bringing in life imprisonment. However, the Oslo Court sentenced the defendant to imprisonment of 10 to 21 years in accordance with the law. At maximum, one life is compensated by some 3 months (21 years ÷ 77 lives = 3.3 months).
The accused of the New Zealand terrorism was a white Australian man. Reportedly, he was greatly influenced by the philosophy of the Norwegian white supremacist terrorist.
Most Western countries have abolished the death penalty. However, ultra-nationalist parties have caught on in Europe. I anticipate that anti-immigrant attacks will increase. Without a death penalty, nationalistic terrorism can grow unfettered.
Japan’s public safety is the best among major developed countries in the world. And, over 80% (80.3%) of the citizens support the death penalty according to a survey in 2015. Even though European countries criticize the death penalty, the Abe Cabinet had better not abolish capital punishment so that Japanese citizens can live in peace.

Aid to North Korea

On February 22nd, the United Nation’s Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced that North Korea requested food assistance. I sincerely hope that North Korea will collapse and abducted foreign nationals will be released as soon as possible.
Previous to this announcement, NBC news reported that North Korea sent a formal letter through its ambassador Kim Song, stating that the main cause of the poor harvest was a nationwide, record-setting heat and resultant drought through July and August, and flooding as well. In addition, due to the economic sanctions, North Korea had difficulties in importing farming machines such as tractors, fertilizer, pesticide, and petrochemicals. According to the “statistics” which North Korea submitted to the U.N., food shortage is prospected to equal the caloric intake of 1.4 million people.
South Korean president Moon Jae-in is so pro-North-Korean that South Korea smuggled petroleum products to North Korea. However, I don’t believe that he can continue to support North Korea because South Korea is itself economically cornered. As the government raised its minimum wage by 29% in 2 years, part-time job slots for which lower income people work have decreased by 195,000. Also, more than 1 million small businesses have gone out of business last year. Over 22 million out of 52 million citizens are borrowing money from predatory loan institutions whose rates are higher than 20%.
It is reported that, in North Korea, many people have been dying from starvation, and, in the winter, some are frozen to death. We should somehow find a way to offer aid to such abused people, never the ruling class or the Army.
In believe that the world community should offer millet to North Korea. The ruling class won’t eat such a humble food. If the millet were served to the Army, the soldiers’ morale would decrease.
If the world supports the abused in North Korea, I hope, they could get enough energy to riot against the atrocious regime. I earnestly hope that North Korea will collapse as soon as possible.

The Okinawan Prefectural Referendum

On February 14th, Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki announce that Okinawa would hold a prefectural referendum on the 24th concerning the relocation of the U.S. air base to the Henoko area of Nago City. The result of the referendum is not legally binding. However, I believe that the Abe Cabinet should pay much attention to the citizens’ voices.
In Japan, a national referendum has never been held, but local referendums are conducted on rare occasions. In 1996, Okinawa held a prefectural referendum demanding to shrink the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, and in the following year, Nago City carried out a municipal referendum opposing moving in the U.S. air base there. Despite the results, the Japanese national government decided in 1999 that the U.S. air base would relocate within Okinawa, from the Futenma area to the Henoko area.
Initially, Okinawa Pref. and Nago City accepted the decision on the condition that the air base would be constructed off the coast of Henoko and with its use limited to 15 years. Due to negotiations with the U.S., the Japanese government had to relocate the construction site to the coast.
In 2014, Takeshi Onaga, who was opposed to the air-base relocation, was elected as Okinawan governor, and revoked the construction permit in the following year. The Japanese government sued the Okinawan prefectural government in court, and won in 2016. Onaga passed away in 2018, and Denny Tamaki, diehard opponent of the base relocation, was elected with a historically high number of votes at over 390,000.
Okinawan citizens of 18 years old or older can vote in the prefectural referendum. The number of potential voting is 1,156,295. They must choose from 3 options on the air-base relocation: approve, disapprove, and no opinion. According to the Prefectural Voting Regulation, when one choice amounts to a quarter of all the electorate, the governor will report the result to both the Japanese and U.S. governments. Opponents of base relocation are aiming at this target, which equals some 289,000 votes. In my opinion, the voting rate must surpass 50%. If not, it means that the majority are not interested in the issue.
The result will be known on the 24th of February or the following day. I hope that the Abe Cabinet won’t blatantly ignore the Okinawans’ voice. Also, if the voting rate doesn't surpass 50% or the votes opposing reach the 25% mark, the activist should accept the reality of air-base relocation.

Japanese Citizens’ Voice

The Nikkei Shimbun conducted a survey by snail-mail for the first time. I believe that these results are more reliable than usual because, in the case of robo-calls, busy people would immediately hang up the phone while many seniors, housewives and the jobless would take time to answer the survey. 1,673 out of 3,000 questionnaires were returned by the end of November.
First of all, politicians, journalists and bureaucrats should be aware of the fact that they are not trusted by citizens even though most of them are proud of their professional status. 56% of the respondents said that Diet members were untrustworthy, 42% said that the media was untrustworthy, and 32% said that national bureaucrats were untrustworthy. Notably, 60% of 28 to 29 years olds said that they don’t trust the mass media.
The most reputable institutions are the Self-Defense Forces (60%), followed by the courts (47%), the police (43%), prosecutors (39%), and teachers (32%). No matter how the left-leaning media have dispraised the Self-Defense Forces, they have reliably contributed during disasters such as the Great Tohoku Earthquake in 2011.
When asked about foreign countries, the most hated was North Korea (82%), followed by China (76%), South Korea (61%), and Russia (57%). The result is not surprising.
On the other hand, I don't understand why the U.K. and Australia are most preferred by Japanese (72% each), followed by the U.S. (67%).
Currently, a constitutional reform of any kind is difficult: 46% prefer to revise the constitution whereas 50% are opposed to it. However, opinions vary depending on age and income. The majority of those 60 years old and older are opposed to revising the constitution whereas the majority of those less than 60 years old support revision. And, the majority of households earning less than 5 million yen (about 50,000 US dollars) per year preferred not revising the constitution whereas the majority of households earning more than 8 million yen supported revision. Households between 5 million and 8 million yen were equally divided. The Abe Cabinet had better not rush a national referendum on constitutional reform.
I hope that the Japanese government implement formal survey contingent with nationwide elections to record citizens’ opinions accurately.

Doomed South Korea

On February 1st,the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the European Union came into effect. It comprises 635 million people and accounts for nearly one-third of global GDP. In South Korea, this EPA is concerning for South Korea because it might negatively affect the South Korean economy.
South Korea has maintained its total trade surplus for 84 consecutive months. During January, however, its exports were 46 billion US dollars, a decrease of 5.8% from the previous month, whereas its imports were 45 billion USD, a decrease of 1.7%. The surplus is shrinking.
Semiconductors account for about 20% of South Korea’s exports. Its semiconductor exports during January were 7.4 billion USD, a decrease of 23.3%, due to the drop in their prices. For instance, the price of DRAM (8Gb) was a decrease of 36.5%.
26.8% of South Korea’s exports are accounted for by China. The trade conflict between the U.S. and China is taking a heavy toll on the South Korean economy. During January, its exports to China decreased to 10.8 billion USD, a decrease of 19.1%.
South Korea concluded an EPA with the EU in 2007. However, its advantages over Japan have now disappeared.
When South Korea’s foreign currency decreased, investor capital fled concerned that South Korea might become unable to pay back dollar-based debts. Previously, South Korea could weather currency crises by borrowing dollars from the U.S. and Japan.
In 1997, however, its relationship with the U.S. was so bad that it couldn’t borrow dollars from the U.S. In addition, the U.S. put pressure on Japan not to lend dollars to South Korea. As a result, South Korea fell under the control of the International Monetary Fund.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is so pro-North-Korean that South Korea has trafficked petroleum products to North Korea, breaching the UN resolution. The South Korean relationship with the U.S. is tremendously bad. And, its relationship with Japan is the worst it has ever been.
I believe that, under incumbent President Moon, South Korea is doomed to default or fall under the control of the IMF again.

Justice for Lai Dai Han

http://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/19/women-raped-by-korean-soldiers-during-vietnam-war-still-awaiting-apology
＜Women raped by Korean soldiers during Vietnam war still awaiting apology＞
Campaign group urges recognition for women affected by sexual violence of Korean troops and the children born as a result
Sat 19 Jan 2019 09.00 GMT Last modified on Sat 19 Jan 2019 09.02 GMT
Tran Thi Ngai was 24 and alone at home in her village in Vietnam’s Phu Yen province when a South Korean soldier forced his way into the house and raped her.
“He pulled me inside the room, closed the door and raped me repeatedly. He had a gun on his body and I was terrified,” said Tran, now almost 80, and still waiting for South Korea to acknowledge sexual violence by its soldiers during the Vietnam war.
A campaign group, Justice for Lai Dai Han (JLDH), is urging the country to recognise both the tens of thousands of children born as a result of rape by Korean troops, and their mothers, of whom around 800 are still alive today. Tran’s three children were conceived through rape during the war.
Roughly 320,000 South Korean soldiers were deployed to Vietnam to fight alongside the US between 1964 and 1973, but the story of the country’s involvement in the conflict is largely untold. South Korea has never acknowledged claims of sexual violence allegedly perpetrated by its troops against thousands of women and girls, some as young as 12 – or the children born as a result.
However, South Korea has continued to demand apologies from Japan for its use of “comfort women” from Korea, who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels before and during the second world war.
This week, at an event to highlight work to prevent sexual violence in conflict, former British foreign secretary Jack Straw called on the UN human rights council to conduct a full investigation into sexual violence during the Vietnam war, and urged South Korea to confront a murky period in its past.
“Facing up to unacceptable behaviour by troops is difficult for any country. However, as we have learned in the UK through painful experiences like Bloody Sunday, uncovering the truth not only gives victims and their families closure but can strengthen a nation and its values,” said Straw, who is an international ambassador for JLDH.
Korean troops guard three Vietnamese captives found near a village south of Tuy Hoa in November 1966. Photograph: Hong/AP
“The victims of sexual violence and the Lai Dai Han deserve recognition and an opportunity to heal. We must demonstrate to the world the importance of following through on commitments to end sexual violence in conflict.”
“Lai Dai Han” is a pejorative term meaning “mixed blood” in Vietnamese. The Vietnamese-Korean children say their lives have been blighted by stigma in a society that has acknowledged neither them nor the sexual violence suffered by their mothers. Many are illiterate because they were refused an education, and they have poor access to healthcare and social services.
Tran Dai Nhat, the son of Tran Thi Ngai, recalled being beaten by teachers and thrown out of school when he was a child. It was not until he was 18 that his mother finally explained the discrimination was because he was mixed race.
“At school they said I was the son of a ‘dog’. I couldn’t do anything and I never understood why,” he said. “Teachers hit me – saying I should go back to Korea with my father. My entire life, I have been made to feel as though I shouldn’t be [in Vietnam],” said Tran Dai Nhat, who founded JLDH and leads efforts to press for recognition and an apology from South Korea.
Nadia Murad, who won last year’s Nobel peace prize with Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege for their work to stop the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, backed JLDH’s calls for recognition, saying: “The Lai Dai Han have been living in the shadows of Vietnamese society for far too long. The victims and their families deserve to be recognised as we work together to achieve justice.”
Murad, who was forced into sexual slavery by Isis militants with other Yazidi women in Iraq, said more needed to be done to bring perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. “As these criminals enjoy more rights, freedom and life than the victims themselves, how can we restore dignity to the victims if everyone turns a blind eye to the prosecution of perpetrators and allows them to enjoy impunity?”
Former British foreign secretaries Jack Straw and William Hague with 2018 Nobel laureate Nadia Murad and Tran Thi Ngai, whose son is seen on the far right. Photograph: Courtesy JDHL
William Hague, co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, said the case of the Vietnamese families showed the importance of confronting the past in order to move forward on preventing sexual violence in war. “There is now an overwhelming case for a permanent investigating body, under the auspices of the UN, to help ensure these atrocities can be prevented and justice made available,” he said.
Straw told the Guardian: “This is not about compensation. Above anything, what these families want is recognition.”
Straw added that he is pressing South Korea to apologise to families affected by sexual violence during the Vietnam war.
But Tran Thi Ngai accepts that such an apology may be far off. “I lost everything after I was raped. I was imprisoned, I lost my home and my children lost their future. Any apology will probably come when I am dead. But I will accept it, even in the afterlife.”

Japanese Clout

On January 18th, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) released an opening letter to members which appeals to its members not to withdraw from the IWC. When the Abe Cabinet decided on December 25th that Japan would withdraw from the IWC, I was opposed to the decision. However, Japan’s withdrawal is greatly shaking the IWC. Currently, Japan cannot utilize its clout effectively, despite being an economic power. This may be an omen that Japan may be able to exercise its clout more effectively in the future.
Japan has and still is the largest contributor to the IWC, burdening 105,000 pounds (8.6%. about 138,000 US dollars), followed by the U.S. (